Solo
by carhanick
Summary: My version of the Han Solo backstory, that I thought would be fun to post before the movie comes out. I toke some elements from the legends story, but some ideas I wanted to change. Originally posted the first few chapter a little while ago, but I wanted to edit them a little bit and re upload. Not perfect yet, but I wanted to post first chapter before the trailer dropped. R R
1. Chapter 1

The golden steps of the Corellian palace glistened brightly as the crisp rain drops pelted against them. Swiftly, a small figure made her way up to the cold steps, barely taking any time to see whether or not they would slip, but rather considering greatly if anyone had seen them. No matter how long it took, she was determined to reach the top, _undetected._

After all, who knows what someone would do if they saw someone of her status wandering outside in the pouring rain. It would be preposterous, shameful, and not to mention extremely embarrassing. In fact, the thought terrified her so much that she began racing up the stairs, stumbling over the wet marble, her shins slamming against the lubricated marble, nearly sending her tumbling down. The speed in which she was traveling was so great that the brown silk hood she had been wearing slipped off her head, unprotecting her voluminous, long,dark brown hair from the fierce rain.

Upon reaching the marble doors of the castle, the girl of 16 took one more glance around her, her deep, dark blue eyes scanning the area for anyone that could have followed her.

"Ah Princess! Nice to see you have returned, your mother has been talking about you the whole afternoon!" Her attention turned to the speaking solidier that stood at the palace gates. The queen was many things, but forgiving was not on her long lists of talents.

"How wonderful you would give me such intelligent insight, Ogen!" The striking features of the young woman's strong face feigned approbation, as she made her way past the stout man to sneak into the castle.

"Simply trying to help, your highness!" Ogen called after the glistening princess. Again, his sarcasm betrayed the truth in his words, and again, the princess had detected it.

The intricate double doors embedded with her family's crest in the middle towered 6 feet above her, tall enough to intimidate perhaps the emperor himself. Lightly, she raced her fingers across the Corellian crystal that created the handle for the palace, taking in a deep breath for the wrath to come. _Perhaps,_ she thought, _she won't be that angry._ Which may of course be a possibility. All in all the princess had not been doing anything extremely condemnable, and it was certainly a possibility that the queen would not indeed get infuriated for her absence. Yes, that could've have very well been the case if she hadn't been the daughter of a Carita.

She tugged the doors outward slowly, however it was not long before she could her her mother's booming voice.

"Kierana!" Before she could even think, even step inside, her mother was already pacing towards the poor girl.

Her mother's lengthy light blonde hair was piled upon the top of her head, adorned with a golden framed crown filled with circle, blue crystals, and bore the family emblem in the center.

"Listen." Kierana attempted to come across courageous, but found her throat drying faster than the deserts in the outer rim. Her mother effortlessly stood there, cognizant that her daughter would not take long in her striving to defy her.

"No, you listen." The queen shot back, after seeing that her daughter would not try to speak again. "I know exactly who you were with and what you were doing. You were imbecilic enough to actually believe that you can really hide from me! I could've gotten you at any time, I just thought that I could trust you to be responsible enough to come back home at least two hours before dinner!" The ear-deafening voice echoed throughout the entrance hall of the palace, nearly convincing Ogen to come in to help the princess.

Without any hesitation, Kierana hung her head in guilt, her bleeding blue eyes swimming with shame. The princess' throat was so hoarse, it was a miracle she could even choke out her next question. "What is my punishment, mother?"

The queen roundabout went hysterical at her daughter's sudden formality. Correspondingly to her daughter, Jaina was another type of person that often conveyed a ruthless exterior, though was in truth a whimsical, funny, and compassionate human being. Hey, that's what happens to you when one is the queen of 24 billion civilians in the Correllian core systems.

"Well Kiera," (it was a name only her mother used, if someone else were to use a nickname for Kierana it would most likely be Rana or Ki,) "I suppose there is one risky job i could assign you that would perhaps make up for your insolence." The tone in Jaina's voice had transformed drastically, now taking on a lighter and airier vibe.

"Anything, mother dearest." Kierana responded, a grin forming across her face pondering what silly act her mother could possibly have in mind.

"Since you almost missed it, you are going to have to get ready quickly for dinner, and get your brother from his room for dinner as well." The queen spoke charismatically, in order to portray the "sacrifice' her daughter would have to commit to complete this task.

The princess' body grew stiff once more as she mocked a fearful tone, "But mother! His majesty is _working._ " Making sure to accentuate the stupidity of the fact that her 8-year old brother had told them he was not to be disturbed while he was "working".

"That's why I have bestowed you with such a task! I know it will be perilous, but who knows you may survive with your head!" Jaina quipped back at Kierana, on the cusp of laughter.

"Well then! You have certainly found the right soldier for the job!" The princess remarked slyly before embarking up the stairs in search of her brother.


	2. The Prince

"Han. Han!" Kierana shrieked, while banging her fists against the mahogany door that held that separated her closeted sibling from the rest of the world.

Inside, the boy was far from ready to come to a royal dinner with the rest of his family. The color of his hands were barely noticeable under the slick grease of the oil he had been using, his hair was matted from the steam of his mechanical work, and his face was covered in soot, ashes, and a pair of goggles. Yet no matter how much dirt or grime was on the young man's face, there was nothing that could tamper with his striking features. Even in this state, he could easily surpass any other royal in the galaxy in terms of looks, charm, and wisdom. It may have been hard for someone as old as 40 to be doing what the adolescent was doing now, but with his skill, he needed only the right tools to complete the impossible. With extreme caution, the youth grabbed the final lever and slowly lowered it into his invention, a devilish lopsided grin appearing to take pride in his accomplishment.

"Han! Get your kiffin ass out here!" The boy may have been in complete silence, but he had been totally oblivious to his sister's past 14 minutes of calling for him.

Muttering words I would rather not mention (his father had quite a colorful vocabulary), Han flung the goggles from his face and made his way towards the door of his room, pulling it open with such ferocity it was a surprise Kierana was still standing.

"What?!" He growled loudly, resting his hands on his hips in a courageous struggle to intimidate his older sister.

"Your excellency is needed at dinner. And _you and your terrible case of oblivion_ is making us both late for it." She snapped back, half in jest and half in agitation. If there was anything the two siblings enjoyed more than their hobbies, it was out-doing one another.

They would never admit it, but they were close to being carbon copies of each other, in practically every way except their appearances. Sure, they both had similar face shapes, their features were lined up in similar ways that one could understand how the two were siblings, but other than that they looked very very different. Where Rana's hair was chocolate brown, (identical shade to her father's), Han's was light chestnut (a mixture of the two parents). In Kierana's dark eyes, it seemed the weight of the galaxy-hell, of the universe was on her shoulder's, yet Han's bright, hazel pupils were filled with innocence, optimism, and knowledge. The princess' eyes were only one color, yet seemed to vary in intensification and shade at her command. On the other hand, it was impossible to guess what color the prince's were to ever be. On some days they seemed brown, others green with golden specks (also similar to their father), but on most they seemed to take on the light blue of the queen, a significant trait of her family heritage (you'll find out why later).

As the two stood there, in identical stances, it would be preposterous for someone to mistake the two as anything besides siblings. Both gorgeous pairs of eyes were glaring deeply into the other's, as they fought about who was at fault for their current situation.

"If you had just come out of your room when I first called you, maybe you would have been ready by now, and we could have been at dinner!"

"This is not my fault! You should have called me down earlier, maybe if you had simply been here you could have done so!"

"Oh so now it's being put on me? C'mon Han you're being ridiculous! I would bet anyone would have failed to get you out of your room, Your impossible!"

"Me? I'm the impossible one? You're the one having secret rendezvous with her fiance! Don't you have years of marriage to do that?"

"Please don't bring Cahjac into this, I would think you were smarter than that. Now the more we argue, the more farkled we are with mom. So just you fix this-" She motioned her hands around his soot-covered face, "I'll get dressed and we'll be ready for dinner. Fine, hot shot?"

"Fine!" The future king barked, and pivoted grandly back into his room, slamming the door with as much force as he had opened it. He marched royally back into his room, and made way for the fresher. With no time to spare, he sloshed a plethora of water across his face, the dark patches being washed away to finally expose his immaculate, tan skin.

The doublet he had been wearing had - thank the great gods - remained unscathed, and his hair returned back to it's normal culminating state after a couple of brushes. He then proceeded to put back all his tools he had been working with, each fitting perfectly in the place he had made for it, if one were out of place it could mess up the whole system. Rushing out of the room, the boy almost forgot the crystal crown lying atop his mahogany dresser, and tripped over a rouge wrench in order to retrieve the sparkling headpiece. Finally, he regained his pride, and proceeded to exit his room.

Four doors down, the princess was rummaging through her closet for something to wear, something that would prove to her mother she could be a mature and proper royal. She decided on a high collared navy gown, with scarlet red and bright yellow (the colors of the Solo empire, which has been in power now for over 4 centuries) diamonds that lined the collar of the dress. The fabric was a thick velvet, that stuck closely to the princess' skin, The skirt billowed out slightly, however was not playful or super feminine. It was a sophisticated, _responsible,_ and proper choice, one she was sure would please her mother greatly. Accompanying the dress, she chose a silver crown filled with the same colored diamonds as on the garment, and put her hair in a tight bun with two strands falling in front of her face.

Wiping any last reminiscence of her journey earlier in the day off her face, she left her room to reunite with her brother.

"Well your worshipfulness, as much as I thoroughly enjoyed waiting for you, I believe _we_ need to get to dinner."

Her hand flung out before she could think about it, grabbing him by the ear, and her voice taking a "threatening" tone. "Don't you dare talk to me like that!"

"Your highness! Was that a threat?" The young prince probed lightly, relishing in his sister's anger.

"Y'know maybe it was." Her grip loosened a little, yet her stance became competitive and intimidating.

"Hmm...too bad you won't be able to go through with it!" With a fleeting maneuver, he twisted her arm, and planted a soft blow in her gut. Before she could even react, he took off down the stairs, leaving her in a state of shock and anger.

"You are so dead!" Gritting her teeth, she ran after him in a fit of frenzy, her beautiful blue eyes ablaze.

The two engaged in an extreme cat and mouse game, rushing through the complex, twisted staircases of the palace with ease. Paying little attention to the fact she was in heels and a dress, Kierana gained considerably on her younger brother in little time. Han made his way quickly for the dining hall, knowing Kierana would most likely not beat the crap out of him in front of their parents (yet with her ego, it was still a possibility).

He rounded the corner, frantically prying the stone door to the hall open. His sister caught it before it closed, slipping her slim figure into the room alongside the prince.

Inside, the marble columns were draped with the red and yellow of the dynasty, the crystal table was filled with several platters of mouth-watering dishes, and the Solo family crest was adorned in several pieces of furniture.

King Jonash Solo didn't even look up from his food, but simply smiled widely, his emerald eyes eventually falling onto his wife.

"You're late." The rich voice boomed throughout, the man in which the voice belonged to staring straight into his terrified children.


	3. Family

"Sorry Father." The two children chorused, the rowdy behavior of two minutes ago had dilated as soon as they were inside.

"No, no. It's me who's sorry. After all, it's not my food that's cold." Finding extreme satisfaction in the fact that his typically proud children had surcume to ultimately respecting their father, Jonash kept his wide grin stuck on his face.

Trembling greatly, the two children took their seats, each across from each other, and began to pick at the food laid out for them.

"Your mother told me about your little trip this afternoon," the king continued, showing little sign of acknowledging the discomfort of the young royals. "Although, I suppose I'm expected to be disappointed…"

Kierana's head shot up in hope, surprised at his sudden change from solemnity to-what was that- pride?

"But the way you were able to get around without being seen? To be invisible, that stealthy? There is no doubt in my mind you are my daughter! You have really made me proud." Although the king was filled with admiration for his young daughter, one look- well more like glare from his wife and he knew he should be a tad more re reprimanding.

"And yet" he cleared his throat, "I would've wished you had told us of your plans. You still live in this palace, and you are still my daughter. In a short time you will be Queen of Kroshar, and these immature activities will have to cease. You'll have to take care of yourself."

"Well I won't be totally alone! Cahjac will always be there ruling besides me." Kierana chided.

With that comment the whole table erupt into laughter. Cahjac Jeruda, Kierana's headstrong fiance, was many things, yet a leader was not one of them. Being the only child of King Derik and Queen Isadora Jeruda, Cahjac was the sole heir to the throne of the neighboring planet Kroshar (home to around roughly 2 billion citizens), a planet that supplied critical weapons and technology to the republic, and now (reluctantly) the empire. Although being quite small and remote, both governments relied greatly on the intellect and service of the Krosharians, and the galaxy would not be as advanced as it was without the superior plant's contribution. The current king and queen, and their son, were all kind, compassionate, loving people, yet they had been easily swayed and intimidated by the empire for the past 8 years it had been in existence. In order to restore the once proud planet's reputation,Kierana had agreed to become queen of Kroshar, instead of taking the title of head of the Solo dynasty after her engagement. That, she had decided, would be a much more fitting title to her brother, all in all he was a much better leader then she could ever strive to be.

"Oh yeah right! That young man couldn't lead a troop even if someone gave him instructions!" The king in between laughs.

"What do you see in him anyway, besides the chance for the resistance to gain another key planet?" It was Han's turn to enter the conversation, his question asked in a murmur, as he toyed with the food in front of him.

"Oh plenty of things, Han. I mean, there's a plethora of reasons why I love Cahjac- but yet, I suppose only someone with a heart would understand…"

"Haha, very funny."

"Mmm, your sister brings up an excellent point though!" Jaina intervened, her words separated by chews, "I mean there is of course plenty of time, but maybe it was time you began searching for a wife. The spouse of the monarch is just as important as the crowned head."

Han lifted his head slightly from his food, but only to let out a disgusted groan.

"Yes, yes!" Kierana joined back in, rejoicing to see her usually suave brother in a state of annoyance and discomfort."She has to be wealthy."

"And social."

"And beautiful."

"And charitable."

"And royal."

With each add to the list of criteria for a future wife, Han banged his head louder on to the table. The kid could barely stand when his sister and her fiance made doey eyes at each other, he couldn't begin to imagine what it would be like to have a wife of his own.

"Just forget I asked okay!"Along with this angry and agitated comment, Han flung his hands in the air in a fit of rage and surrender.

However his sister was just getting started. "Your highness! Please next time, try to contain your feelings within you. As you well know anger lead to hate and hate leads to-"

"For sith's sake, if I hear that one more time I will fling you against a wall!" Menacingly, he whipped his fork around as if he was wielding a lightsaber, growing inches from his sister's face.

"I'd love to see you try!" She retaliated, picking up her own fork in defense.

Jaina gave a risky smile to her husband, hoping he could help her with their misbehaved children.

"Hey." He whispered to her compassionately, lightly caressing the skin under the gown. The next words he spoke he whispered into her ear quietly, "They get it from your side."


End file.
